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Fujitsu Laboratories has announced that they have conducted successful field testing for LTE using 4x4 MIMO. The trials, in collaboration with DoCoMo, took place in Hokkaido and resulted in wireless data transmissions in the range of 120 Mbps (using 10 MHz bandwidth) in Sapporo's urban environment. This would be equivalent to 240 Mbps throughput using the 20 MHz maximum bandwidth that LTE allows.

Spring is almost here and WeatherNews Japan is gearing up for another Hanmi season with their so-called Sakura Simulator application. Tracking the progess of magic blooming across the country aided by legends of regular users - updates via mobile naturally - along with route map suggestions for where some of the best places are to have a picnic.. wOOt!

NTT Com is now accepting applications for it's new HOTSPOT Express product, a WLAN service for the bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka, which will start March 14. Touted as the first wireless Internet access offering on any Shinkansen line in Japan, although UQ Wi-Fi recently announced availability for select corporate customers as of March as well, the service will offer maximum downlinks of 2Mbps on each 16-coach bullet train for any IEEE 802.11b/g-compatible device for a monthly charge of 819 yen (approx. $8 usd). According to the announcement, connectivity will also be available in the waiting lounges of all 17 stations along the route.

NEC has announced that it is providing Telefonica Espana with a blog platform for their SNS service, "KETEKE," which includes blogging and "Contenedor Multimedia" where registered SNS users may share photos and videos, in addition to a calendar where members can check and coordinate their schedules. These functions are available through not only the computer and mobile, but via the companies television service "Imagenio" as well. This platform was apparently designed based on an established blogging product from Japan that has been adapted to suit the needs of Telefonica, according to the statement.

JCI will start a new fixed-rate data service with a fee of approx 10-cents per minute on March 23, 2009. "Doccica" will use DoCoMo's 3G network combined with public wireless LAN access points from several established providers. Subscribers are required to purchase a USB dongle manufactured by ZTE Corp., for approx US$150, including a pre-paid fee of for the first 500 minutes. WWJ conducted a video interview with Sanda-san, way back in 2002, about the mvno's B-Mobile product offering.

Clearwire has announced that William Morrow will replace Benjamin Wolff as chief executive. Mr. Morrow served in various telecom roles including Vodafone K.K. as President of the company when it exited the Japanese market [video here]. Clearwire is backed by a swath of media, tech and telecom companies, including Sprint Nextel, Time Warner, Google and Comcast, with the goal of constructing a cutting-edge wireless network.

NTT Com held a press conference to announce their new free push-type service that feeds information about nearby places of interest to iPhone and iTouch owners who also subscribe to the companies HOTSPOT WLAN flat-rate data package offering. The new service, named Cocotan! taken from Japanese koko "here" and tan "search", automatically provides a list of recommendations based on the clients access point matched to a database of consumer-generated content, including blogs and Web reviews, for restaurants etc. located near-by.

Hola - we are finally back in the groove here from our MWC adventure last month. The congress was chaos as usual this year with the predictable rush of news, presentations and evening event hopping. While attendence YoY was down, almost 50,000 players managed the annual tre

In another step forward for machine to machine connectivity, and fixed-mobile convergence, the folks at Sony held a press conference in Tokyo this week to parade their upcoming big-screen television offerings. The announced KDL-series full HD LCD models on show, ranging from 32" to 52" and approx. $1,500 to $4,500 respectively, will be shipping this April with the Felica RFID reader/writer embedded in the remote control. Soon we will see Japanese handsets enabling transactions through the TV!

DoCoMo announced that it has notified the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications that the fees it charges other operators to interconnect with its network have been reduced by more than 10 percent, effective immediately and applied retroactively to all interconnections since April 1, 2008. Perhaps related to this news from September last year, that the company had been over charging for international roaming, the full details of their updated billing structure is explained within several .pdfs which accompany the press release.

>Mobikyo K.K. publishes Wireless Watch Japan, organizes MobileMonday Tokyo networking events and operates Mobile Intelligence study tours providing related custom research and advisory services. Mobikyo's founding directors are deeply connected with, respected by, and committed to, Japan's wireless and IT business community. Thousands of managers, planners, engineers and strategists depend on Mobikyo to learn about Japan's unique business models, technologies, contents, services, applications and hardware from the most innovative test-bed market for next-generation mobile industry. "Mobikyo" was chosen for the unique blending of Mobile and Tokyo. However, depending on the kanji character used for kyo, it could also mean association, capital, religion or today. With fantastic support from our clients, partners and affiliates in Japan and overseas, we have become the trusted source of independent market intelligence & business networking connections based in Tokyo.

MobileMonday Tokyo is a leading networking organization supporting Tokyo's mobile industry. We launched in September 2004, with over 70 events to-date, hosting an average 100-200 industry delegates. MobileMonday is an open platform for mobile industry visionaries, developers and industry insiders fostering cooperation and business development through live networking events to share ideas, best practices and trends from global markets. Chapters are active in over 100 cities worldwide and new locations continue to launch monthly. Founded in Helsinki, Finland, in 2000, MobileMonday is organized by a global team of 300+ volunteers and it has become the world's largest mobile community network. Details via MoMo Tokyo website

Mobile Intelligence offers related custom research and consulting designed specifically for industry executives working in sales, marketing, product development, strategy, venture capital and the media. From private workshops and conference presentations to trend spotting innovation and detailed analysis, our services are based on the direct experience and lessons learned in the Japanese mobile market. We also run a unique in-Japan guided tour service providing market introductions, personal connections and actionable lessons for clients overseas. Delegates take part in seminar and attend inside sessions, at individual companies, in technology showrooms, and -- most importantly -- on the fabled streets of Tokyo. Alumni return home with a competitive edge, integrated awareness and personal contacts moving them to the forefront of new business development. Full details via Mobile Intelligence website